The Guardians of Life: The Bringer of Death
by Manco
Summary: A rewrite/reboot of my previous story. Sora and his friends Riku and Kairi must team up with a group of heroes known as the Jedi Knights to stop the Heartless and a powerful wizard who is mysteriously bent on destroying all life. Many Pairings S/K, R/A
1. Mystery

This is chapter 1 of the rewrite/reboot of my previous story the Guardians of Light. I felt the original was headed in a very unsatisfying direction. So I went back and rewrote the whole thing along with new chapters. The story has the same characters and some things are the same but a lot of things are different. Think of it like a major Final Mix.

This series is going to be a quadrilogy and is now titled The Guardians of Life. I also have a three prequels in store and the first installment will be posted next month.

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Valin Horn, his brown eyes roaming the campsite before him, stood and wondered only one thing: what…happened?

Mining equipment was lying all around and there were also a few mining helmets dented and mangled on the rocky surface. The forty-two year old veteran Jedi strolled over, stopped, and picked up one of the helmet. Despite all the dents, one thing caught his eye and that was a long streaking claw mark that was cut straight through the helmet. His eyes squinted when he noticed a few dried blood stains around the edges of the mark.

Valin scanned the area again to see if there were any dead bodies. But there was nothing. No bodies. No remains. No sign of life anywhere.

"Master!" cried his apprentice.

He turned around and saw the young eighteen year old girl run straight to him.

"Did you find anything, Cassie?" asked Valin.

Cassie shook her head causing her long blonde hair to sway back and forth.

"Nothing. I did however see a few blood marks on some rocks and equipment." said Cassie.

"Well…I found this." Valin said, handing his apprentice the helmet.

Cassie studied the damages to the helmet closely.

Valin looked around the area and said. "Whatever did this…It wasn't human."

"Then what was it?" Cassie gently tossed the helmet aside and added. "And if the miners are all dead, how come there are no remains?"

"I don't know. Let's continue towards the outpost. We might find some more clues along the way." said Valin.

Cassie gave a nod and followed Valin. They walked northeast for ten minutes and still found no sign of life. At this time of day, Pollis Massa was usually active with miners drilling into the rocky ground, travelers passing by, and security troops patrolling on swoop bikes.

But now, there was nothing except an eerie silence.

Cassie looked over at her master and asked. "I don't get this. Where is everybody?"

"I don't know, Cassie." Valin replied in a low and serious tone.

"You think we'll run into that strike team that the Galactic Alliance sent?"

"Hopefully."

Valin stopped and so did Cassie. They spotted, a few feet away from them, four chopped up blaster rifles lying on the ground. The two Jedi approached the rifles and immediately began investigating.

Valin picked up two halves of one of the blaster rifles and said in an almost whispered tone. "Sliced in two."

They looked at each rifle hoping to find more clues…they didn't find much. The two Jedi were about to leave when suddenly, from the corner of her left eye, Cassie spotted something…something red.

She looked and gasped. Valin immediately took notice and looked over to see what had startled his apprentice. He saw, just a few meters away, a tall rock that had a huge smear of blood from top to bottom.

While Cassie just stood still in horror, her master took a few steps towards the rock. He eyed the bloody rock for a second then noticed that there were more tall rocks right next to the bloody one and that they all blocked the view from the other side.

He turned around and said to Cassie. "Cassie, stay here for a minute. I'm going to see what's behind these rocks."

"Okay." said Cassie.

Valin slowly made his way around the long line of tall rocks. A part of him was dreading to see what lied behind. What horrifying image awaited him?

He walked right past the last rock and stopped dead in his tracks. It was just as he had feared.

Scattered all across the area were dead mutilated bodies. Men, women, and a few other types of species were all lying dead on the ground or sprawled out on top of rocks. Valin shook his head as he slowly walked through the rocky graveyard examining some of the bodies. He saw that all of them had deep claw marks driven across their flesh.

He sighed and turned to make his way back to his apprentice only to find her standing right next to the last tall rock. The expression on her face summed up the sickening and horrified feeling that he felt at the moment.

Valin walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Are they all?" asked Cassie.

"Yes." Valin replied.

Cassie just shook her head slowly and didn't say another word.

"Something is going on here." Valin looked to his left at a grayish structure in the distance. "And I get the feeling that the answer is at that outpost."

He looked at Cassie and added. "Be on guard. Whatever we're about to deal with obviously doesn't know the meaning of mercy."

Understanding his words, Cassie nodded. Valin however could see the worry in her eyes so he reached out with the Force and used it to help her relax a little. He could feel from her the gratefulness towards him for providing her such comfort. The two Jedi then turned and headed in the direction of the outpost.

Five minutes they walked and saw the same thing: dead bodies. Everything was silent until…a masculine scream echoed across the area.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Valin and Cassie stopped in their tracks and looked ahead at a man running towards them. The man, panting and flailing frantically, collapsed to the ground and the two Jedi rushed to his aid. The man was shaking, his breaths were rapid, and terror dominated his face.

He grabbed the arms of both Jedi and looked them in the face. Valin could tell by the man's uniform that he was a member of the strike team that the Alliance had sent. He also noticed that the uniform was ripped and that the young soldier had deep slashes all over his body.

"What happened?" asked Valin.

The young man opened his mouth to say something but not a single word escaped his lips.

"What did this to you?" asked Cassie.

The man looked up at the sky and his breathing was now heavier and even quicker.

Valin and Cassie looked at each other and then back at the soldier. They saw that the man had a severe gash near his lung area.

"How's his pulse?" Valin asked Cassie.

She touched the man's cut up wrist and replied. "Very faint."

Valin looked back at the soldier and asked. "Sir, we need to know…What did this to you?"

The man opened his mouth again to speak and Valin could hear the poor man struggling to get a word out. Valin was definitely beginning to wonder what in the name of the cosmos could have frightened a brave soldier to the point he could barely talk.

He soon got his answer…but it wasn't what he was expecting.

"The...shadows...the shadows...are alive...the shadows...are ALIVE!" cried the soldier.

And that was the man's last words before death claimed him. Valin and Cassie frowned and slowly turned their gazes to the outpost. For a long time, they just stared at it like as if they knew that some unknown terror was waiting for them.

* * *

Chapter 2 coming very soon.


	2. Unknown Terror

Here is chapter 2. To any new readers, I hope you like it.

P.S on totally off topic- I can't wait for Birth By Sleep to come out. Mark Hamill and Nimoy in the same game equals pure awesome!

* * *

To Valin and Cassie, entering the outpost was like walking into a scene straight out of a horror holomovie. Dead bodies littered the floor, debris was everywhere, parts of the ceiling were caved in, giant holes were on the walls, there were spots of dried blood on some of the debris, and all around was the foul stench of death.

Cassie closed her eyes and reached out with the Force to sense if there were any life forms around. What she felt sent a powerful shiver down her spine to the point she fell to one knee. She immediately broke her link with the Force and looked up at Valin who was eying her with concern.

"Cassie? Cassie, what did you feel?" asked Valin.

"I don't know...it's unlike anything I've ever sensed before. It felt like a dark Jedi only...ten times worst." said Cassie.

Valin frowned and processed everything she had just said. What could be that much worse than a dark Jedi? A Sith? No...the Sith were extinct. So what could his apprentice have felt?

He looked away from her, closed his eyes, and reached out with the Force. What he felt was a presence so...powerful, so malevolent that he himself almost dropped to his knees. This was not the Dark Side of the Force. This was something far different. The darkness radiating from this presence was too overwhelming. He had to break his link with the Force...and fast.

He opened his eyes abruptly and took several breaths. His heart was literally pounding in his chest. In all his years as a Jedi, he had never felt anything like that through the Force.

"Master?" asked Cassie, concern on her face.

Valin looked at her and replied. "Whatever it is that's here…it is not of the Dark Side. It's something…worse."

"What could be worse than the Dark Side?"

"I don't know... What I do know is, it felt a lot stronger in darkness than any acolyte of the Dark Side. In fact, it was so strong it almost felt like it was…no, that's not even possible."

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's continue on forward and find this presence."

They were about to move when they suddenly heard a loud crash in the room straight ahead of them. Without hesitation, the two Jedi drew their lightsabers but didn't activate them. Not yet. They walked straight to the room's entrance and Valin thumbed the door's activation switch. The door didn't open which caused Valin to frown and press the switch again. The door still didn't slide open and this time Valin pressed the switch harder...which proved to be a big mistake. Sparks shot out of the switch with a cackling hiss causing both Jedi to jump back.

"Well then," said Valin. "I guess we're going to have to do this the long way."

He thumbed on his lightsaber and plunged the hot glowing green blade into the metallic door. After about a minute, he had successfully carved a circular entrance on the door. He deactivated his saber and with his apprentice he crept inside and looked around the rather large room. One of the walls were in pieces, half of the roof was ripped off, the windows were shattered, and there were debris all over the floor with four dead bodies lying underneath.

"Talk about a disaster." said Cassie.

The two Jedi continued scanning the area when they suddenly felt the dark presence again. But this time there was more than one! The dark energy was emitting in the room and both Jedi looked around to see if anything was near them... But there was nothing.

"They should be here. I feel their presence. Why aren't they here?" said Cassie.

Valin frowned and quickly looked around the room again. The presences were so close that whatever they belonged to should be looking them right in the face. That's when Valin remembered what the soldier said: 'the shadows are alive'.

"Master!" Cassie cried, pointing at the right corner of the room.

Valin looked over to where she was pointing and saw what looked a shadow rising out of the ground. It wasn't burrowing up from underground. It was just coming up off of the ground. In less than two seconds, the creature had fully risen.

It was black as night, stood four foot eleven in height, had big glowing lifeless yellow eyes, black razor sharp claws, and big sharp black teeth. On top of its head were two long wavy antennae. Although it looked like some type of weird insect, it did in a way resemble a thick black shadow.

The creature didn't make a move. It just stood there twitching its antennae and staring lifelessly at Valin and Cassie.

"What…is it?" Cassie asked, a grossed out look on her face.

"It's definitely not a life form I've ever seen." replied Valin.

They both stretched out with the Force and felt the darkness again. It was certainly coming from the creature, but as they tapped deeper into the Force they soon realized...

"It's energy. That thing is actually made of some type of dark energy. Now the question is, is it an intelligent life form?" said Valin.

The Jedi Master used the Force once again to read the creature's thoughts. He cringed and clutched his head. It felt like hundreds of needles piercing inside of his brain. Thousands of snakelike voices echoed in his head and he couldn't make out what they were all saying. But the last sentence came in very clear:

_Give ussss… your hear…Give IT TO UUSSSSS!_

Valin's eyes widened and he broke his connection with the Force.

Cassie put her hand on his shoulder and asked. "What is it?"

"It talked…somehow that thing talked to me through the Force." answered Valin, staring straight at the creature.

"What! What did it say?"

Valin looked at her. "Trust me. You don't want to know."

Just then, seven more creatures rose from the ground next to the other one. They all got into a position that resembled that of a nexu ready to pounce on it's prey. Within a mere few seconds, they charged ferociously at Valin and Cassie. Valin and Cassie activated their lightsabers and prepared for the creatures' attacks.

One creature lunged at Valin with it's claws but the older Jedi's reflexes were quicker and he cut the creature clean across the head with one swift strike. To Valin's surprise the creature completely evaporated when the saber struck it. There was no blood or anything; it was almost like cutting through a very thick puff of smoke.

Two creatures attempted to attack Cassie but she gracefully struck them down with a frontal and horizontal slash with her pink lightsaber. Another creature swiped at Valin with its claws and the Jedi skipped back avoiding the slash. He swung his blade downward on the creatures head and the creature disintegrated on impact.

There were only four creatures left and two of them slowly levitated off the ground. Like a twister, they started to spin rapidly and their bodies began to morph. The two creatures now resembled propellers and they were gliding straight at the Jedi!

The two Jedi dropped down and rolled out of the path the flying creatures. They got to their feet and turned their attention to the other creatures who were still in their insect form. The two creatures leaped at Valin and Cassie, claws ready to cut human flesh. The master and apprentice reached out their hands and used the Force Push technique that sent both creatures flying backwards through a hole in the wall.

The two Jedi looked back at the flying creatures and saw them cutting the walls like a vibroaxe saws through wood. They both knew if the walls came down so would the other half of the roof. The two Jedi rushed through a missing wall which lead them to yet another giant room. Behind them they heard the thunderous boom of the ceiling caving in on the previous room they were in.

"That was close." said Cassie.

Valin and Cassie looked ahead and saw the two creatures they had Force Pushed earlier. Both beasts wasted no time in attacking. With a swift forward jab from Valin's saber and a downward slash from Cassie's blade, both creatures were destroyed in an instant.

They took a few breaths and soon learned that things were far from over. Six more of the same creatures rose up from the ground.

"Great." said Cassie, her tone revealing her annoyance.

All six creatures launched themselves at Valin and Cassie, but the two Jedi swung their blades gracefully in all directions cutting each creature down before they could lay a claw on them. Five more creatures appeared: three from the ground and two came out of the wall on the left of the Jedi. The three creatures on the ground raised their claws and ran at the Jedi. Valin swung his blade straight across and it cut through the chest of all three beasts. They evaporated and the other two creatures sunk back into the wall.

Valin and Cassie, frowns on their faces, scanned the area while keeping a tight grip on their lightsaber hilts. When they saw that no more creatures appeared, both Jedi thumbed off their lightsabers.

"Looks like those things gave up." said Cassie.

"I doubt it. They'll be back. But...in the meantime, let's take advantage of their absence and continue our search for survivors." replied Valin.

"Master, with those things running around, I don't think there are any survivors left."

"Don't lose hope, Cassie. Always stay optimistic even when things look hopeless."

Cassie sighed and followed her master through the rubble.

For fifteen minutes, they searched the entire outpost for survivors and all they found were more dead. But they didn't give up, they reached out with the Force to sense if there was anybody or anything alive. To their surprise, they felt someone brimming with life but sadly it was only one person and not many.

"Well, at least someone survived." said Cassie.

"Let's find this person before those creatures do." said Valin.

Briskly they walked and used the Force to locate the survivor. The two Jedi reached the back area without any opposition from the creatures. It wasn't hard for them to spot the survivor especially since the metallic door leading to outside was on the ground in five pieces. Confused looks formed on Valin and Cassie's faces when they noticed that there were at least twelve creatures roaming the whole outside area and not a single one of them raised a claw at the survivor, who had his back turned.

The two Jedi also noticed that the survivor was wearing a utility belt and it appeared to have two lightsaber hilts attached to it. They didn't sense any Force sensitivity from the survivor, but they did feel some type of power radiating from him or to be more precise from the silver metallic gauntlets that covered his hands.

The creatures stared at the two Jedi but didn't even attempt to attack them. Slowly, Valin and Cassie walked towards the survivor and once they came to about five meters away from him, he spoke.

"Stay right where you are."

The survivor had a boyish voice but the Jedi did what he said and stopped. The survivor slowly turned around and faced them. He was a human boy no more than thirteen years old and had strikingly bright purple eyes. His long white hair fell to his shoulders and to the middle of his back. His tunic was dark brown as well as pants and on each silver gauntlet was a small green crystal.

His young face showed anger as he stared at the Jedi.

"We mean you no harm. We've come to get you out of here." Valin said to the boy.

The boy sighed and replied. "As expected, you're both totally clueless as to what is going on."

Valin and Cassie looked at each other then turned their attention back to the boy.

Cassie smiled and asked politely. "Care to tell us?"

"Why should I waist my breath explaining something to someone with an intellect that is smaller than my pinky?" answered the boy.

Cassie frowned. "Not a very polite boy are you."

"Will you at least tell us your name?" asked Valin.

"Look, old man. All you need to know is that I'm a genius. And the Heartless." The boy pointed at the creatures. "Obey me."

Valin frowned at the 'old man' comment.

"The Heartless? You speak of these creatures?" asked Valin.

"Well I wasn't pointing at the rocks. However, very soon your dead bodies will be spread out across the rocks." said the boy.

The boy raised his left hand and the Heartless immediately turned their attention to Valin and Cassie. Valin and Cassie activated their sabers and gripped them tightly.

"So you're the one behind this!" shouted Cassie.

"Some form of intelligence. Amazing." replied the boy.

The boy flicked his finger and the Heartless charged at the two Jedi. Cassie and Valin knew without a doubt: the fight was going to be more difficult especially since they were outnumbered and surrounded. Valin swung his blade across and cut down two charging heartless but barely dodged the claw from another. He delivered an upward slash at the Heartless but it quickly avoided the attack by sinking into the ground. It looked like a big black spot and it moved shockingly fast across the ground. It stopped two meters from Valin and then came up out of the ground in it's insect form. The heartless swiped its sharp claws relentlessly causing the older Jedi to backup.

His Force danger sense tingled and Valin could sense an attack from behind. He turned around and slashed upwards cutting a Heartless that was about to pounce him from midair. The other Heartless's claw made contact with Valin's arm causing the Jedi master to flinch and growl. Valin fully turned his attention to it and plunged his saber straight through it's head before it could attack again. The creature disintegrated in less than second.

Cassie swiftly cut down a heartless but immediately got sliced in the arm by the claw of another. Cassie gave out a cry then used Force Push and sent the heartless shooting backwards and knocking straight into another heartless. Both heartless got up, raised their claws, and lunged at Cassie. The young Jedi jumped to her right avoiding the claws. Cassie swung her lightsaber and her attacks were fierce and her blade was like a blur. The two heartless couldn't dodge any attack and evaporated when her blade struck each.

In minutes, Valin and Cassie had defeated all twelve heartless. They bore a few cuts but nothing life threatening. They turned their attention to the boy and could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't amused but what they just did. The boy folded his arms and more heartless began rising out of the ground.

The two Jedi breathed out a long sigh. It seemed no matter how many heartless they killed, more just kept coming. Ready for battle, they both gripped their saber handles tightly and waited for the heartless to make their move.

"Halt!" cried the boy.

The Heartless came to a stop and stared lifelessly at Valin and Cassie.

The boy, a disgusted look on his face, took two steps forward, stopped, and said to all the heartless. "Retreat."

The Heartless obeyed his orders and sunk into the ground completely disappearing. The boy stared at Valin and Cassie and unhooked his sabers from his utility belt.

"You Jedi are tough I'll give you that. But you still lack the most important thing: intelligence. I, on the other hand, have great intellect as well as masterful fighting skills." said the boy.

He switched on his two blue lightsabers and twirled them both smoothly in his hands. He pointed one of his blades at Valin and Cassie expecting them to get intimidated. The reaction he got however...was definitely opposite.

"You've got to be kidding me." Cassie said between her laughter.

Valin who was snickering said to the boy. "Boy, put those things away before you hurt yourself."

"You're...not scared!" the boy replied, surprised by their reaction.

"First of all, you're not Force sensitive. That means your lightsaber skills must be beyond sloppy. Second, my apprentice and I are trained in the ways of the Force and know very well on how to use a lightsaber. Meaning we could easily beat you blind folded. On top of that, you're just a boy and we Jedi do not inflict harm on youth. So as much as we would want to teach that so called 'intellectual mind' of yours a lesson, we aren't going to hurt you… But if you do not put those weapons down… we might just change our minds." said Valin.

The boy was silent for a second. He then smirked and replied. "Wow…you Jedi are full of yourselves. Sad to see such arrogance but no smarts to back it up."

He shook his head, deactivated the saber in his right hand, and attached it back on to his utility belt.

"Lesson one." The boy said, the crystal on his gauntlet glowing green.

Greenish energy enveloped the boy's right hand and it cackled like thunder when he raised his hand.

"Never underestimate the wrath of a child."

The boy aimed his right hand at Cassie and out of his hand came a ball of green light that nailed Cassie right in the chest. The green energy covered Cassie's body but dissipated when she fell to the ground.

"Cassie!" Valin cried.

He knelt down beside his apprentice and saw that she was gasping for air. Her body shook violently, her eyes were hazy, and sweat dripped from her forehead. Valin, eyes full of worry, took her hand in his, felt her forehead, and found that she was burning up.

"Hold on, Cassie." he said reassuringly.

He stretched out with the Force to feel what was wrong with his apprentice. A frown formed on his face when he sensed some type of poison flowing in her blood stream. Whatever that blast of energy did, it somehow poisoned her.

Valin, his hand still on Cassie's forehead, focused harder and used the Force to lessen some of the poison's effects. It helped Cassie to breath a little but Valin knew it wasn't going to last long. The Force healing technique only delayed the poison's effects for a short period of time. He opened his eyes, squeezed Cassie's hand gently, and kissed her forehead.

"How touching. How disgustingly touching. Makes me want to gag." said the boy.

Valin stared daggers at the boy, stood up, and activated his green lightsaber.

The boy sighed and said. "The things a boy has to do to get people to take him seriously. It's about time you want to fight."

"Only to disarm you…and to teach that twisted cocky mind of yours a lesson. But there's just one thing I don't understand."

The boy smirked. "Hmph. And what is that, old man?"

Valin stared at the boy for a second. "How a boy your age could be capable of such cruelty."

"Trust me, old man. You've yet to see just how cruel I can be!"

The boy did a complete flip forward and swung both his sabers at Valin. Valin blocked the blow with his lightsaber then easily parried the boy's fast paced saber onslaught. The Jedi master could tell by the boy's wild and chaotic saber style that he was right. The boy was sloppy and whoever trained him must have taught him only how to take out an enemy quick. If the boy had received true lightsaber training, he would know that when taking on an older, more experienced opponent you have to use a more strategic style. His style wasn't bad, but clearly he was still very much an amateur.

They both swung forward with full force and their sabers locked with a loud cackling hiss. Valin used his strength and pushed the boy backwards. With his saber in one hand, Valin unleashed a series of graceful saber slashes that weren't too strong or quick. He wanted of course to stop the boy not kill him. The boy deflected each jab and attack with his two blue lightsabers.

He parried saber slice close to the chest from Valin with the saber in his left hand and with the blade in his right thrust it at the Jedi master. Valin parried the stab, deflected an incoming horizontal slash, and then raised his saber up to his chin and blocked a powerful frontal slash. Their sabers were locked once again and both combatants stared at each other.

"You do realize that I've been going light on you." said Valin.

"Is that so? Well then by all means stop holding back, old man." said the boy.

"Are you sure?"

Anger flashed across the boy's face. "Bring it."

"Alright."

They released their saber lock and with one strong lightning fast swipe upwards, Valin sliced the lightsaber in the boy's left hand in two. The boy, shocked by the older Jedi's quick reflexes, stepped back and gripped both hands on his other lightsaber. With a smooth grace and amazing speed Valin swung his blade at the boy and on very strike the boy could barely parry. Every slash, every slice the boy blocked caused him to take more steps back. Their sabers met in a loud clash and Valin used his strength and pushed the boy to the ground.

The boy gritted his teeth, got to his feet, and delivered three swift frontal attacks on Valin. The Jedi master deflected each one with ease then reached his hand out and used Force Push to send the boy flying far backwards and slamming hard into a tall rock.

The boy, his saber dropping out of his hand, cringed as he fell to his knees. He tried to stand up until he saw the tip of Valin's green blade looking him right in the face.

"Get up." said Valin, his tone as stern as the look on his face.

The boy stared hatefully at the older Jedi and slowly got to his feet. The boy raised his hands in defeat but Valin kept his saber pointed straight at him.

Valin shook his head. "Young people. This is what you get when you show your superiors very little respect."

The boy swallowed hard and stepped until his back was against the tall rock. Valin took one step forward then frowned when he felt something through the Force. It was a dark and almost cold presence and it was coming from behind. He was about to turn around but it was far too late. A blue fiery ball of light nailed Valin in the back causing the Jedi master to give out a loud cry of pain. Blue energy enveloped his body but disappeared when he dropped to his knees. His face showed nothing but pain as he gasped and clutched his chest.

The boy frowned at Valin then looked to see who it was who had come to his aid. Standing ten meters away from the boy and Valin was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. In his left hand was a black duel sided sword that was planted straight through the chest of Cassie.

The man looked from Valin to Cassie with an almost lifeless look on his face.

"Pathetic life-bringer." said the man, pulling his duel sided blade out of Cassie.

The man slowly made his way over to Valin. Valin cringed and growled as he tried to get up. But every time he moved, an intense unbearable burning pain shot across his entire body. It felt like every part of his body had been set on fire.

The man stopped in front of Valin and stared down at him while the Jedi master looked up at him. The man had a kind of boyish face with long hair black as the night sky that flowed down to his lower back. He was wearing a dark gray tunic, boots, and pants but from what Valin could tell the clothing was made of some type of special fabric for it looked almost metallic. The man also wore a black cape that ran down to the man's knee caps. But the one thing about the man that stood out was his brown eyes. Valin admitted to himself, that if he weren't a Jedi he would've been absolutely terrified by the man's creepy gaze. Never in all his life had Valin seen a pair of eyes so cold and lifeless. There was no hate, no anger, no happiness, no joy, no sadness; just...a void. It was almost like looking in the eyes of a dead corpse but even then the corpse may even have more emotion.

"So brave...yet so stupid." the man said in a emotionless tone.

He pointed the tip of his duel sided blade at Valin's chest.

"You are not afraid to die?" asked the man.

"Jedi don't give into fear...even in the face of death." replied Valin, still looking the man in the eyes.

The man's expression remained the same: cold and lifeless. "Hmph. Typical Jedi. So intelligent…yet so inferior."

Valin knew full well what the man was about to do. If this was truly it, he wanted at least to say farewell to his loved ones. He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Through the Force, he cried out a message hoping that his family and wife would hear it:

_Tahiri, my darling wife...Jysella...Corran...I love you all. And tell mom that I love her too...Never forget these words… Now and through death!_

The man thrust his blade into Valin's chest and twisted the blade. Slowly, he retracted the blade watching the blood ooze and stain Valin's beige tunic. Valin gave one final gasp before falling dead to the ground.

Anger formed on the boy's face and he shouted at the man. "Saeon! Why did you help me!"

Saeon turned his attention to the boy but didn't say a word.

"I could have killed him myself! I didn't need any-"

But the boy was both silenced and frightened by the loud crack of thunder from Saeon as he shot lightning from his left hand and into the air. His duel sided blade glowed a hazy purple and when he twirled it the blade morphed into a black staff.

Saeon, his face still devoid of any emotion, walked over to the boy and looked him in the face.

"Speak to me in that tone again, Venvarra...and I will cut you up into pieces. Is that understood?" said Saeon.

Venvarra, a frightened expression on his face, nodded.

"Is that understood?" Saeon asked again, not satisfied with Venvarra's nod.

"Yes...Lord Saeon." said Venvarra, a hint displeasure in his voice.

Saeon turned around and said to Venvarra. "Now. Pick up your weapon and walk with me."

Venvarra obeyed and reached down and picked up his lightsaber. Reluctantly he joined Saeon and walked side by side with Saeon. He knew full well where this was headed.

"Progress report." said Saeon.

"The heartless and I searched the planet thoroughly and found nothing." answered Venvarra.

"I gave you two extra days."

"Searching a planet takes time especially one like this."

"Two days on top of the three. In total that is five days."

"Look, Saeon-"

"You should've been done in three days." Saeon stopped causing Venvarra to do the same. He looked at the boy and said. "Instead you waisted two extra days playing around with the locals and alerting the Alliance of a disturbance."

"They were a nuisance that needed to be removed. Besides if I hadn't killed them I would've never finished the search." replied Venvarra.

"You accomplished nothing. That's the fact, Venvarra."

Venvarra didn't say a word and looked down at his feet.

"I'm trying my best." said Venvarra, his voice almost a whisper.

"Apparently your best isn't good enough. Which is why I'm teaming you up with someone from the station." said Saeon.

Venvarra, outraged by Saeon's decision, frowned and replied. "With all due respect, a smart mind like me doesn't need help nor did I need your help here."

"Would you prefer if I remove you from existence?" asked Saeon, his eyes icier than usual and his tone emotionless.

A look of dread appeared on Venvarra's face. "No."

"Then stop whining and obey my orders." Saeon sighed, folded his arms, took two steps away from Venvarra, and added. "It appears the only good thing to come out of today is that an old enemy of mine is about to meet her end."

Venvarra, a confused look on his face, looked down and thought for a moment. Then it dawned on him.

"You mean Maleficent?" asked Venvarra.

"Yes...too long has that witch escaped death. I wish I could see the expression on her face when she realizes that she has no control over the Heartless. That all this time they've been doing my bidding." said Saeon.

"Her demise will be a glorious moment."

"Indeed it will. Things will be much easier with her out of the picture." Saeon slowly looked back at Venvarra. "But for our plans to be complete we need the Kaiburr Crystal as well as the Cornerstone of Light. Which is why I'm going to send you, your new partner, and the Heartless to a new world."

"What about the Cornerstone?"

"That does not concern you. Your mission is to find the Kaiburr Crystal and bring it before me."

"What about the other part of my mission?"

"What about it?"

"When do I start?"

"When I feel you are ready."

"But-"

"I need you at full strength when you take her on so that way there are no mistakes."

Venvarra sighed. "Whatever you say...my lord."

Saeon turned around, walked a couple more feet away from Venvarra, and reached his hand out. A black misty vortex suddenly appeared before him.

"In fifteen minutes, come to the station so that I can fully brief you and your partner on your next assignment." said Saeon.

"Yes...Lord Saeon." replied Venvarra.

"In the meantime, Venvarra, order the Heartless to find this planet's keyhole and send it and everything on it to the dark abyss known as oblivion." ordered Saeon, his tone dark.

Venvarra smiled and said. "It will be done, my lord."

With that, Saeon strolled into the swirling black vortex and him along with the vortex vanished in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Chapter 3 will be posted soon!


	3. Nightmares and Visions

Here's Chapter 3. I'm still waiting on Birth By Sleep. I can't wait for it to come out. So you guys knows, though the story is a little different. It ain't losing it's dark touch.

ObsidianUnknown66- It's good to be back and it's good to have a laptop again. Lol. Saeon will not lose his sadistic tendencies. He will always be inspired after the character Chigure from No Country For Old Men. All I am going to do is add a little more to his character though. I also have a prequel story planned that will show him becoming The Bringer of Death. That story if written would be rated M. lol.

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

The whistle of the wind was all that could be heard across the desert's endless sands. It was a gentle wind blowing softly against the girl's light tan skin and pushing her long dark red hair back to the point her hair looked like a gentle stream.

Allana Djo Solo had no clue as to where she was or why, but one thing was for sure: she was all alone here. There was no sign of life or civilization anywhere. It was like standing in a valley of death.

Was this a dream? A vision? A hallucination?

The young twenty year old Jedi took a deep breath and walked across the soft white sand. She looked to her left then to her right...still nothing. A booming crack of thunder caused her to stop in her tracks. She looked up to see where the sound was coming from and saw a giant moon. But it was no ordinary moon: it was shaped like a heart. There was another loud boom and Allana watched as small pieces of the moon cracked off and shot across the sky. She gasped. This unique and beautiful moon was falling apart right before her eyes. What could this mean! Where the hell was she!

"It's over, Ashelia Dalmaska!" shouted a feminine voice behind Allana.

Allana quickly turned around and saw two women staring daggers at each other. One had long blue hair , wore a black skintight jumpsuit, and was pointing a dagger at the other woman. The woman glaring at the blue haired woman wore a pink skirt that dropped just above her knees, a white low cut top, had short light brown hair, and held a sharp elegant sword.

"After everything you've done, Maria Traydor, you still have the gall to act like a innocent victim." said the the brown haired woman, who Allana presumed had to be Ashelia Dalmaska.

"I am innocent! I've always been innocent since day one! You're the monster...and you will die like one." said Maria Traydor.

Allana, a feeling of dread coursing through her, looked back and forth at Ashelia and Maria.

Anger dominated Ashelia's face as she answered. "Well then...I guess there's no more reason for talk. Let us end this."

Both women cried in rage and charged each other with their weapons held high.

Allana, horror in her face, watched the two women engage in a violent duel. Ashelia and Maria, intense hate in their eyes, swung their weapons at full force and parried each others blows.

"No! Stop! Stop this now!" shouted Allana, trying desperately to get the women to stop fighting.

The two women suddenly disappeared and Allana was now surrounded. All around were armored soldiers and warriors in black military combat suits shouting, shooting at each other, and striking at each other with swords. Somehow, she had wound up in the middle of a battle field! Blood flew and bodies dropped all around her. It was chaos...and the only thing drowning out her pleas to stop were loud battle cries from soldiers.

"Listen to me!" Allana shouted again.

The images suddenly changed before her. No longer did she see armored troops and combat suited warriors but instead Chiss soldiers and Alliance soldiers shooting away at each other! Explosions erupted all around Allana and troops rushed past her shouting at comrades or barking orders. Troops from both factions were taking heavy casualties.

This was a full scale nightmare to Allana. What could she do? Her words didn't stop them and jumping and waving her hands would be pointless. Death and destruction surrounded her and she had no power whatsoever to stop it.

Allana buried her face in her hands and dropped to her knees. She shook her head slowly.

"Stop. Stop. Please...please just stop. Please." she pleaded.

There was one more explosion followed by utter silence. She took several breaths wondering what had just happened. Slowly Allana moved her hands away from her face to see why there was no sound. What she saw made her shoot up and back away. Lying on the sand before her was a human skeleton stained with blood. She looked ahead with fright in her eyes and saw hundreds...no...millions of skeletons of all different species scattered across the miles of desert.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she looked around frantically. There was a loud thunderous boom that caused her to look up. The heart shaped moon ripped in half and the two pieces quickly disintegrated into tiny particles. The sky quickly turned pitch black with no form of light anywhere in the sky.

Echoing across the black sky was a creepy hissing voice that said. _Life...shall perish! Life...shall perish!_

The voice sent a shiver down Allana's spine and now more than ever Allana wished she was anywhere but where she was. She looked ahead and saw standing a couple of meters away from her were ten tall beings. She couldn't see their faces for their backs were turned but she noticed that they were all wearing dark red capes.

The ten beings spoke, their voices deep and demonic. "Sinners...Sinners."

Allana frowned. What were they talking about?

They turned around, looked at Allana, and the girl jumped back in shock. She now had a clear view of the ten beings and what she saw was definitely something out of a nightmare. The beings or creatures wore shiny black armor that had a red broken heart symbol on their chests. Instead of skin, they looked to be made up of pure black shadow. Their razor sharp teeth and claws were also pitch black. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow and on their heads were four sharp horns.

Allana's heart was racing and her eyes were slightly widened. She had no weapon and no one to help her. She was alone and defenseless. What could she possibly do against these ten...creatures? She could use the Force on them but would that work?

The ten creatures eyes just bore into her like as if they weren't just looking at her but straight into her soul. Four of the creatures, in the middle of the group, reached out their right hands and black swords suddenly appeared in their hands. Allana noticed that the swords were made of some type of energy and they were shaped like keys. The other six creatures reached their hands and weapons appeared in their hands. Their weapons however resembled lightsabers only the hilts were dark blue and the blades were black.

One of the creatures with a keysword opened it's mouth and said to Allana. "Guardian of life...pure one...life bringer!"

All ten creatures pointed the tips of their blades at the young female Jedi and slowly walked towards her.

"Die...Die...Die." They repeated over and over as they slowly walked at Allana.

Allana reached her hand out and tried to use Force Push on the creatures. Nothing happened and the creatures got closer. Allana backed up and tripped on one of the skeletons. On the ground, she continued to back up desperately trying to get away from the ten approaching demons.

"Die, life bringer! Perish!" the creature with a keysword shouted.

They picked up the pace and their walk became a run. Allana closed her eyes and prepared to meet her demise. But it never came.

Allana, eyes wide open, shot up out of bed sweat dripping down her head and her breaths rapid. She touched her forehead and wiped the perspiration from her face. She sat there for moment gazing at her sheets and thought about the horrifying nightmare she just had.

"What was that all about?" she said to herself.

She swerved her legs over the side of her bed and got up out of bed. She took a couple steps then stopped and clutched her chest. She felt a strong ripple through the Force. It was the very feeling a Jedi felt when another Jedi passes away. She closed her eyes and stretched deeper into the Force. Her heart sunk further when she felt whom it was that had passed on.

"Valin...Cassie." whispered Allana.

"No!"

Allana heard the voice in a distance and knew exactly who it belonged to. With a sad look on her face, she sighed, walked over, and opened her closet. She took out her white robe, put it on, closed her closet, and then made her way out of her quarters.

* * *

It didn't take Allana a long time to find the source of the scream. When she arrived outside Valin's quarters, the sight that beheld her eyes broke her heart into pieces. Sitting in a corner against the wall with her face buried in her hands was Valin's wife Tahiri Veila. She was sobbing heavily occasionally whispering the word 'no' or her husband's name. Kneeling beside Tahiri comforting her was Allana's aunt, Jaina Solo-Fel.

"Tahiri..." was all Jaina said.

Allana saw standing near them was her master Ben Skywalker and in his arms crying was his wife Jysella Horn Skywalker. Allana and Ben's eyes briefly met and she could see nothing but sorrow in his ocean blue eyes. He slowly looked away from her and turned his gaze back at his wife. Gently Ben caressed Jysella's long smooth brown hair and closed his eyes.

No words were said in those minutes. Allana, a tear falling from her eyes, shook her head and wondered what brought this dark cloud upon them. And is her nightmare somehow connected? She got the feeling that she was going to eventually find out...and she was not going to like the answer one bit.

* * *

Everything was set. They had their datapads prepared, their counter arguments ready, and even flimsiplast documents to support what they say. Now the key thing for them would be execution.

Ambassador Orkas Zawn sat calmly in his cushioned seat at his well designed brown desk. Sitting not too far from his desk was his assistant and good friend Cem Fel. The thirty-two year old male human rubbed his black mustache and took a deep breath. They sat there waiting patiently for their visitor.

The fifty year old blue skinned and red eyed Chiss ambassador looked at Cem and said. "So what is your prediction? Do you think he will help us?"

Cem shrugged and replied. "It depends. If we play our cards right, there should be no problems. You know how my brother is."

The door suddenly opened and in came a young Chiss woman dressed in a gray suit.

"Ambassador, he is here." said the woman.

Zawn nod his head and replied. "Send him in."

The Chiss woman bowed, turned on her heel, and walked straight through the door. Cem and Zawn looked at each other and then back at the door. The door slid open again and entering with a graceful stride, perfect poster, and wearing a flawless white military suit was Cem's brother Jagged Fel. The former military pilot smiled thinly when his blue eyes looked upon his brother.

Cem, wearing an equally eloquent tan colored suit, stood up tall and proud to greet Jag.

"Aw, brother. It's a pleasure to see you." said Cem, a smile on his face.

The two brothers shook hands and Jag answered. "The pleasure is all mine."

"So how is the Moff position so far?" asked Cem.

"Oh, the very thing you would expect from any political position. Watch your back, trust no one, and everything runs smoothly." said Jag.

"I see."

Zawn motioned with his hand at a chair and said. "Please, Moff Fel, have a seat."

Jag nod his head and sat himself down in the cushioned chair in front of Zawn's desk. Cem sat back in his seat as well.

"I presume you gentlemen have a good reason for dragging me away from my Imperial duties." said Jag, his calm blue eyes locked on Zawn.

"As a matter fact we do." Zawn, his glowing red eyes staring straight at Jag, leaned back in his seat and said. "It's a matter that not also concerns Chiss and Alliance space but Imperial territory as well."

Interest formed in Jag's eyes.

"Go on." he said to Zawn.

Zawn continued. "Cem and I have formulated a special plan if you would call it, that if executed right could bring a triumphant end to the long lasting cold war between the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Alliance. This plan would see to it that both sides form a powerful allegiance and benefit handsomely from each other."

"We have gathered enough information that if presented to the Galactic Alliance government they would be more than interested in speaking with the Ascendancy on a truce." said Cem.

"Interesting." replied Jag. "But the Imperial Remnant are already allies to both the Ascendancy and the Alliance. What they do is strictly their business."

"Aw, but if war were ever declared it would become your problem." said Cem.

Jag frowned. "How so?"

"In war both sides would be asking for Imperial assistance. It would cause a division in the Imperial government. One half would want to help the Ascendancy while the other would want to assist the Alliance. And you, Jag...would be stuck in the middle. The whole thing would sink into utter chaos and you know it." said Cem.

Jag, a thoughtful look on his face, leaned back in his chair.

"But it all can be avoided." said Zawn. "If you agree, to assist us."

"Gentlemen, you are going off of a bunch of 'what if's'. Chances are the Ascendancy and the Alliance will never go to war." said Jag.

Zawn quickly responded. "We don't know that."

"And you don't know if there will be a war. It's all nothing but speculation." Jag shot back.

"What we do know, brother, is that three days ago the Galactic Alliance deployed more ships to the border and the Chiss Ascendancy followed suit. At any time, those ships could open fire and we will have one of the most disastrous wars in history on our hands." said Cem.

"It won't happen." said Jag.

"Even if it doesn't, the idea of an allegiance between the Galactic Alliance and the Chiss Ascendancy is not also provocative but brings forth an opportunity for the galaxy to have a prosperous future. The problems that both sides face on a daily basis would be resolved quicker and for the first time ever...this galaxy would be a true unified force." said Zawn.

"Gentlemen...don't get me wrong. It's a noble crusade... but unfortunately one that has no victory in sight. These two government powers have been in a cold war for years and I doubt there is anything you or anyone can present that could make them even consider uniting." said Jag.

Zawn picked up a datapad and reached it to Jag. Jag took it and studied it carefully. From what he could see it contained some type of information regarding the planet Kaileroon in Ascendancy space and the planet Xevoror in Alliance space.

"What am I looking at here?" asked Jag.

"An example. I'm sure you're aware of the Z590 virus on Kaileroon." said Zawn.

"Yes, I hear it's slowly becoming a crisis." said Jag.

"And the so called 'cure' the Chiss have has a fifty/fifty chance of ridding a patient of the virus. Problem is during the curing process the patient under goes strenuous pain and in some cases lose their hair and eye sight. To make matters worse, the resources to make it are starting to deplete and according to officials in less than two years there may no longer be any more of the cure. The death toll on Kaileroon will double." said Cem.

Jag frowned and said. "That is certainly going to be a problem. But what does this have to do with Xevoror?"

"A good friend of ours Doctor Jeidkin has studied the Z590 virus for a long time and has found a possible way to cure the virus one hundred percent and without any serious side effects." said Cem.

"The key ingredient is the Rojure plant found on Xevoror. Jeidkin bought a sample of the plant from a traveling merchant thinking it was just some exotic decoration... but after studying the biological makeup of the plant she found that it can cure the deadly virus." said Zawn.

"Interesting." said Jag. "But there is another problem. The agriculture on Xevoror is in jeopardy because of the drought they are experiencing. Plants are dieing left and right."

"This is where Xevoror would benefit from Kaileroon. The burgundy water on Kaileroon is known to make plants grow faster than regular water even in dry climate. If the Ascendancy and the Alliance united, Kaileroon would be able to supply Xevoror with enough burgundy water to end their agricultural calamity. And in turn, Xevoror would give Kaileroon some Rojure plants to kill the Z590 virus." said Cem.

Jag sat and thought about everything Cem and Zawn had just told him. They made a good case. The two planets would help each other greatly in the event of a Ascendancy/Alliance unification.

"We have over forty more datapads that document scenarios similar to Xevoror and Kaileroon." said Zawn, motioning at the stacks of datapads on a nearby shelf. "All proving why a Ascendancy/Alliance truce is the best move for everyone in the galaxy."

"Gentlemen, I got to give you credit. You've done your research well." said Jag.

"So will you help us?" asked Cem.

"You mean relay this information to Chief of State Bel Iblis?" Jag paused and thought for a minute. "I suppose I could put in a word. I may even be able persuade a few Moffs to assist me. I doubt it will make a difference. The problem with the Galactic Alliance is that the senators are stuck up and power hungry. Even if Bel Iblis agreed, they would never go along with this."

"But it's worth a try. Jag...it's time to close the rift once and for all. Think of the galaxy and how this plan could lead it into a better and brighter future." said Cem, a smile on his face.

Jag sighed and looked at his brother for a minute. Despite his calm expression on his face, Jag could see the gleam of excitement and hope in Cem's eyes. His younger brother had been working with Zawn for years to help keep things peaceful in the Ascendancy. His ultimate goal was to find a way to close the rift between the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Alliance. If in anyway he could help his brother achieve his dream, he would gladly do whatever it takes.

"What about the Ruling Families? Surely they-"

Zawn cut Jag off. "We have already spoken to the Ruling Families. They are open to peace talks as long as it is the Alliance who are the ones who instigate them."

Jag looked at his brother again and there was a moment of silence before Jag spoke.

"I'm proud of you, Cem." said Jag, a thin smile on his face. "You...and Zawn have my word. I will help you on this matter."

Cem smiled widely and Zawn's smile was the same as Jag's.

"Thank you, Jag." said Cem.

A loud crash and boom startled the three men and made Jag and Cem shoot up from their seats.

"What the hell was that?" asked Cem.

"It appears we have an intruder." said Zawn.

Jag reached down to his utility belt and removed his Model 44 blaster pistol from its holster.

"The sound came from that room." said Cem, pointing at the door on the left side of Zawn's office.

Jag, his features darkened, tightened his grip on his pistol. Whoever this intruder or assassin was, they would soon learn that they made a big mistake. If they truly were here to kill either him, Cem, or Zawn, he was not going to hesitate to put a blaster bolt between their eyes.

"You two stay here." said Jag.

"Nonsense. I'll back you up." said Cem.

"You are not a fighter, Cem..." Jag added in a dark tone. "But I certainly am."

Cem sighed and did what his older brother commanded. Jag walked over to the door and reached over to press the switch that would open the door. He pointed the blaster at the door, his finger on the trigger, then pressed the switch. The door slid open and Jag was fully expecting some form of blaster fire to come his way. But that didn't happen.

Slowly, he crept inside the room inspecting every part of it with his eyes. There was no one around but someone had definitely been in there. In the far right corner towards the end of the room was a dark brown shelf that had a few holobooks and datapads on it stacked crooked while the rest were scattered on the floor. Jag now knew that the sound they had heard was obviously someone crashing into the shelf.

He walked deeper into the room and searched every part. He found no one but what baffled him was that there was no sign of anyone escaping. After investigating the room, he didn't even see a logical way for someone to enter. The only room leading into this one was the office that he, his brother, and Zawn were in and not a single person walked in on them during the meeting. The thick windows couldn't be opened for they were designed not to be and the vents in the room were way smaller than any humanoid.

Cem walked in and stopped when he saw the mess in the corner of the room. He frowned then turned his gaze to his brother.

"Are there any special compartments or secret doorways in this room that I should know about?" Jag asked Cem.

"No. There are none." said Cem.

"Hmm..." Jag looked around the room again. "How baffling."

* * *

Allana, deep in thought, gently pressed her index finger against the door bell on the console next to her master's door. The young woman, wearing a revealing light blue top and a blue skirt that came down slightly above her knees, pursed her lips and looked down at her feet.

Three hours had now passed since the memorial service for Valin and Cassie and still Allana felt darkness looming over the Academy. It was the first time in years that a Jedi had passed away and it had hit everyone including her very hard. She could still feel the pain aching her heart whenever an image of Cassie or Valin appeared in her head.

Although at the service Grandmaster Luke Skywalker said comforting and positive words about the two deceased Jedi, the gloomy feeling of what happened still dominated the Order. Allana wiped a tear from her gray eyes when a memory of her and Cassie hanging out popped in her head. Feeling them die was a horrible feeling for she felt helpless. She wanted to stop it from happening so that they could be here today and none of this sadness would be engulfing everyone. Just like in her dream...she was powerless to stop death.

The door of her master's quarters slid open and her master, a calm expression on his face, stepped forward. Ben Skywalker greatly resembled his father Luke Skywalker in the face. His straight medium length hair was red in color and his eyes were the color of a clear Chandrila sky. Covering his toned masculine frame was a olive green tunic and pants.

Allana stared at him for second before speaking.

"Um...master, if it's not a good time I can come back later." said Allana.

"You are always welcome into this home, Allana." replied the twenty-nine year old Jedi knight, motioning for her to come in.

Allana smiled a little and entered the home. Ben closed the door and with his apprentice by his side walked over to the large living room and sat down on the dark brown couch while Allana sat down in the dark brown love seat facing the couch.

"So how's Jysella?" asked Allana.

"The same." Ben sighed, clasped his hands, and added. "All I can do is just be there for her and...love her with all my heart."

Allana nodded. "Is she here?"

"Not at the moment. She's visiting Tahiri who's...faring out far worse."

"Yeah I could tell at the funeral service...she's been through a lot over the years hasn't she?"

"In all my years of knowing her, I've never seen her so broken. According to Jaina the last time she was this hurt was when my...cousin Anakin died all those years ago. Finally she had found some happiness and now...tragedy has taken it from her once again."

Allana's brow crinkled as she dropped her eyes downward.

"She didn't deserve this. Neither did Valin and Cassie." said Allana, her tone almost a whisper.

"I know." said Ben.

He leaned back on the sofa and stared at Allana for a minute before speaking again.

"So what else is on your mind?" asked Ben.

Allana looked up at Ben and responded. "Hmm?"

"I can tell by the look on your face that Valin and Cassie isn't the only thing that is troubling you."

Allana sighed. That was one thing about Ben, he had a knack of knowing exactly how a person felt just by looking them in the face or the eye. And he always seemed to be right on his guesses.

"Well...to tell you truth...that's actually why I came to see you." said Allana.

Ben slightly nod his head and waited for her to tell him.

Allana leaned back and said. "Just moments before I felt Cassie and Valin's death, I had this...dream. Well more like a nightmare."

Ben, a look of interest on his face, leaned forward. "What kind of nightmare?"

Allana looked him in the eye. "A very disturbing one."

Allana told him everything from the heart shaped moon breaking apart to the ten demonic creatures coming at her. When she was done, Ben sat silent with a look that showed he was in deep thought.

"I don't know what to make of it." said Allana.

"Hmm." Ben stood up, walked over to the window, placed his hands behind his back, and added. "That is strange...especially since you're not the only one who experienced something."

Hearing this really piqued Allana's interest. "Huh?"

"I spoke with Jacen, Jaina, Tahiri, and the other knights...and they confirmed that they heard exactly what I heard through the Force." said Ben.

"What did you all hear?"

"A thousand hissing voices talking all at once and they all said one sentence over and over." Ben paused, turned around, and looked at Allana. "Life shall perish."

Allana gasped as a feeling of dread rose in her. "But that's-"

"Exactly what you heard in your dream." Ben looked down with a grim look on his face. "I know... This is not coincidence, something is going on."

"But what? Ben, this is really creepy. What exactly are we dealing with?"

Ben looked at the window again and replied to Allana in a low tone. "I don't know, Allana. I really don't know."

* * *

The nineteen Jedi council members (Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, Jaina Solo Fel, Jacen Solo, Kenth Hamner, Kyle Katarn, Corran Horn, Kam Solusar, Cilghal, Tekli, Alema Rar, Tahiri Veila, Saba Sebatyne, Tesar Sebatyne, Lowbacca, Zekk, Kyp Durron, Tionne) all sat silent in the round luxurious conference chamber. Some of the council members exchanged glances while some either sat with their heads down or stared off in deep thought. One thing was for sure to Grandmaster Luke Skywalker: it was the most silent he has seen the conference chamber in a long time.

The wise old Jedi master looked to his left at his wife Mara and saw that the older woman didn't return his stare but kept her gaze forward. He could tell by the determined look on her face that she, like a lot of Jedi, wanted answers to the series of events that had transpired and to bring whoever responsible to justice. Luke looked to his right at his sister Leia and his niece Jaina and saw that they had the same look on their face as Mara.

"It should've been me." said Corran.

Luke turned his attention to Corran.

"A father should not be the one saying farewell to his son." said Corran, a tear sliding down his eye.

Luke, sadness forming his face, sighed and didn't say a word.

Leia, knowing full well how it was like to lose a son, looked at Corran and said. "Corran...we're going to find who did this."

"Or WHAT did this." said Jacen.

All eyes were now on Jacen.

"The voice we heard...that was not the voice of a human or a regular life form. That wasn't even a dark sider. It was more supernatural...far more malevolent." said Jacen.

"Jacen is right." said Mara. "There was something odd about that voice...and I believe it belongs to the one responsible for what has happened."

There was a gentle beep that caused Luke to look at the armrest of his cushioned tan seat. He saw that the green button on the armrest was flickering and a series of words appeared on the small screen above the button.

"It appears we have a transmission from the Senate." said Luke.

"Oh boy." replied Leia, her tone full of annoyance.

Luke pressed the button and the lights in the room dimmed. The center of the floor opened up, a large holopad rose out of the floor, and suddenly a blue holographic image of an older man appeared. The older man had long straight hair, a beard, wore a long sleeve suit, and in his hand was a cane.

Luke gave an honorable nod and said. "Chief of State Bel Iblis."

Bel Iblis did the same and addressed everyone in the room. "Master Skywalker...Masters."

"So, Garm, how can we be of assistance?" asked Luke.

"I was hoping to hear how Valin and Cassie's mission went on Pollis Massa." said Bel Iblis.

The room went very quiet and Corran and Tahiri looked down at the ground. A frown formed Bel Iblis's face when he noticed the sad looks on the faces of the Jedi Council members.

"Unfortunately, Garm...Valin and Cassie are no longer with us...They're gone." said Luke, his tone low and depressed.

A look of shock formed on Garm's face.

"My stars..." Bel Iblis looked at Corran and Tahiri and added. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks." said Corran, staring at Garm. "But right now I just want to find out what killed my boy."

Bel Iblis sighed, looked back at Luke for a second, then turned his eyes downward.

"I was afraid of this." said Bel Iblis. "I was hoping they would've made it off Pollis Massa before it disappeared."

The last part made everyone frown and look at Garm.

"Did you just say...disappeared?" said Jaina, an incredulous expression on her face.

"Disturbing I know...it's total chaos here on Coruscant. The Senate is in an uproar and they want answers like I do. The blasted media got word of what happened and are spreading the news like wildfire. It's only a matter of time before mass panic sweeps across the entire Alliance." said Garm.

"That doesn't sound good." said Jacen.

"Garm." Leia leaned forward a little and added. "Can you tell us a little more about Pollis Massa? When you say disappeared, do you mean disappeared like a super weapon blew it up."

Garm shook his head and replied. "No. I mean gone like as if it never existed in the first place."

Leia frowned, leaned back in her seat, and looked over at Luke who returned her stare.

"When we lost contact with the squad that we had sent to the planet, we feared for the Jedi team you sent. We sent another team of soldiers to find out what was going on. When they got there, they found nothing but space. At first, we thought maybe the planet had another planetary natural disaster or a super weapon blew it up...but even then that would've left debris. But there is nothing. No debris. No planet. Just...space." said Bel Iblis.

There was a moment of silence in the room but it was broken by Jaina.

"It just doesn't make any form of sense. What could make an entire planet just vanish out of existence? There's no such weapon or device that can do that." said Jaina.

"At least...none that we know of. Maybe someone has done the impossible and made such a weapon." said Kyle.

"I say. We stop talking and get down to investigating. Bring whoever did this to some serious justice." said Alema.

"That's nice, Alema, but with no debris or bread crumbs leading to anything, how do you suppose we find the culprit. It's like looking for a ghost at this point." said Jacen.

"At least we won't be sitting around doing nothing." Alema shot back.

"We'll discuss that in a moment." said Luke, looking at Alema and Jacen.

"Luke." said Bel Iblis. "If you and the Jedi do go ahead with an investigation. Let me or a military official know what you find. If you want I can arrange for a few agents to come assist you."

"That won't be necessary at the moment. But I'll let you know if we need help. And if we do investigate, I'll inform you of the findings." said Luke.

Bel Iblis bowed and said. "Thank you. All of you. In the mean time, I must go and speak with Colonel Astar. Best of luck to all of you and once again I'm sorry about Valin and Cassie."

Luke bowed his head and said. "Good bye, Garm."

The blue image of the chief of state vanished and the giant holopad lowered into the floor. The floor closed up and the lights brightened.

"The voice, Valin and Cassie's deaths, Pollis Massa disappearing...there has to be a connection." said Mara.

"But Jacen's right, how can we do anything without any solid clues left behind?" asked Tahiri.

"So far what we have is a mysterious voice and an entire planet vanishing. At this point, it is too early to know what is going on. Sadly...until this mystery foe makes another move. We will have to sit patiently...and wait." said Luke, his tone grim.

* * *

Chapter 4 I'm working on right now. And we will be heading to the KH galaxy.


	4. Preparations and Reunions

It took me a while and I finally got me a new, more reliable computer that doesn't crash. I'm more active on this story now and will continue it along with the planned prequels. VERY, very sorry for the delay and hopefully there won't be anymore computer crashes.

So without even further delay here's Chapter 4.

* * *

A soft wind coursed across the land causing the lush green grass to dance in its flow. Small flickering stars covered the clear night sky of the moon Balamb and the only form of light was the blue glow of the world Radiant Garden that in the sky was only the size of a blitzball. It was a beautiful night but to the twenty one year old captain standing on top of Eegolon Hill surrounded by the massive Wutai Mountains, it was the perfect night for a final battle.

Sora, his black cape gently flapping against his legs and his dark red combat suit hugging his toned physique, glared down the giant hill observing the black metallic structure of the dreadful capital ship, The Anima. The ship, many miles away from where Sora stood, resembled a castle sitting on top of a giant flying saucer. From a distance, it looked old and weak but fire power wise it packed quite a punch. Surrounding the ship forming into groups were thousands of Heartless, equipped with axes and black skull shaped crossbows that could shoot endless amounts of energy arrows, lining up and forming into groups. High above gliding around the Heartless army were hundreds of Wyvern Heartless, winged heartless purple in color and resembled dragons.

Sora could already see that it wasn't going to be an easy battle for him and his company, The Fighting 250, but the young keyblade master prayed that it would go better than the intense space battle that had taken place above the atmosphere of Radiant Garden.

He closed his eyes thinking of that horrid fight.

The Resistance which were the forces of Radiant Garden known as the Radiant Knights along with Fantasia Force (the military of Planet Disney) and Destiny Guard (military force of the world Destiny Islands) had engaged the The Anima and Maleficent's fleet over Radiant Garden. Though they had managed to destroy Maleficent's fleet and forced Maleficent and The Anima to flee to Balamb, the death toll was heart breaking. Hundreds died including people Sora had known since he was a child. Men and women in his company had also fallen.

It broke his heart to watch them go and he would've gladly given his life in exchange for theirs. He had failed them as a captain in that fight. Just like he failed...

Sora slowly shook his head and opened his ocean blue eyes. He must not go there right now. He must not think of...her. He had a battle to prepare for and the last thing The Fighting 250 needed was a weak depressed captain.

He heard a soft rustle behind him and knew that someone was approaching. He looked behind his shoulder and saw his lover, Kairi, walking towards him. Kairi, her long straight auburn hair flowing down to her shoulders, wore a light pink jumpsuit that hugged all her curves and a white cape that flapped against her legs thanks to the breeze. She too was a keyblade master and would follow Sora wherever he went. Some in the Fighting 250 even called her 'Sora's Right Hand'.

The young twenty one year old woman stopped beside Sora and looked down at the Heartless. She sighed and said. "There's a lot of them."

Sora shrugged and replied. "Yeah...but we'll beat them."

Kairi looked at Sora and smiled. "Always so positive."

Sora looked at her. "You gotta be...even in these times."

Sora turned around and stared in the far distance at his ninety-five remaining members of the Fighting 250. Two months ago, there were two hundred and fifty members in the company. But the devastating battles over the weeks especially the battle over Radiant Garden had claimed the lives of a hundred and fifty members of the Fighting 250. With so many casualties, Sora knew that the confidence and mindset of some the fighters had to have been shaken.

"You were over there, Kairi. How did they look?" asked Sora, his tone serious.

Kairi looked down and answered honestly. "A few looked focused. Most of them however looked lost. Like as if they didn't care if they die or not."

Sora, sadness forming on his face, looked down and sighed. "Really."

He closed his eyes and remembered the words that his master spoke to him so long ago.

_Even in dark times, Sora, never lose hope. And never change. It's your purity, your innocence, and caring heart that makes you strong._

Sora opened his eyes and determination formed on his face. He looked ahead and marched forward his cape billowing behind him. Kairi followed and stopped when Sora was in front of all the fighters in the Fighting 250.

Each fighter was dressed in a red combat suit and was equipped with a sword and laser rifle. And just as Kairi had said, some looked ready for battle while most looked like they had lost all hope in winning.

Sora, a frown on his face, reached his hand out and a vortex of light circled around his hand. The light dispersed with a few sparks and in Sora's hand was his keyblade. The Kingdom Key. The keyblade had a traditional medieval type design to it. It was indeed shaped like a regular house key but it's golden handle shined whenever light hit it. The blade itself looked like pure platinum and sparkled with every movement. With every movement the blade hummed, as if signifying that it was indeed more than just a regular magical weapon.

Sora lowered the Kingdom Key to his side and looked at each person in his company. Stepping forward with a golden metal on his uniform, was Corporal Luneth. The young white haired corporal was a year younger than Sora and had endured just as many hardships. He had an uncanny ability to escape near death situations and it's that reason along with many why he is one of Sora's best.

Luneth, standing tall and proud before Sora, spoke. "Orders, Captain."

Sora looked at him for a minute then gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Pull out your sword." said Sora.

Luneth frowned.

"All of you." commanded Sora, looking around at the other fighters.

Luneth and the fighters obeyed and pulled out their swords. Sora looked at his keyblade and slowly walked back and forth, his cape gently swaying with his movements. After a few seconds of silence, words finally escaped from Sora's mouth.

"The heart maybe weak. And sometimes...it can give in to our sadness and greatest fears...But what have we all learned during our journeys?" Sora stopped and looked at them waiting for one of them to give him an answer. The fighters looked at each other, some confused, and turned their attention to Sora again.

Sora answered his own question. "Deep down, there is a light in all of us that will never go out...Each and every one of us has a story on how he or she got into this war and how it led to this very moment."

Sora looked at the glistening Kingdom Key and continued. "I remember when the keyblade chose me and the Heartless first attacked. At the time, I was a young naïve boy. I treated everything like as if it were some type of video game and that like a game nothing too bad would happen. I realized over time how serious my situation was." He looked at his company. "And how it was very far from being a game."

He paced back and forth eying his company. "I made many enemies, won many battles...and seen many friends die. I saw this war begin and I will be there to see it end...That end is upon us."

The fighters tightened their grip on their weapons.

"All of you have a story and that story is about to reach it's climax. We have lost friends and family in this darn war. We're not going to let their deaths be in vain! We shall end Maleficent's reign of terror! End the nightmare known as the Heartless once and for all! Fighting 250! Raise your swords!"

Sora raised his keyblade. Kairi summoned her gold flowery designed keyblade into her hand and raised her keyblade while everyone in the company raised their swords.

"Repeat after me." commanded Sora. "In the name of light!"

"In the name of light!" echoed the company.

"In the name of life!" cried Sora.

"In the name of life!" the company repeated.

"In the name of love and friendship!"

"In the name of love and friendship!"

"By blood and the power of the heart!"

"By blood and the power of the heart!"

"We shall smite the wicked!"

"We shall smite the wicked!"

Sora lowered his blade to his side and everyone followed suit.

"In forty five minutes, we give our stories a happy ending." said Sora. He looked at his company sternly and added. "Prepare for battle."

The fighters cheered and a smile formed on the faces of Sora and Kairi. Sora turned on his heel and walked towards the cliff his cape billowing behind him.

* * *

The time was approaching. In a few minutes, the armies in this alliance would march to battle. There was just one BIG problem...his army was nowhere to be found.

The little mouse king of Planet Disney, King Mickey, stood no more than three feet in height crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his right foot against the ground. The ground forces led by Mickey's friends Goofy (Captain of the Royal Knights) and Donald Duck (the court wizard) should have arrived at the rendezvous point an hour ago. But they were late...very...late.

"Where are those fellas?" said Mickey, a frown on his face.

He sighed and figured he could practice a little as he waited. He reached right his hand out and summoned his bright blue and colorful keyblade, The Star Seeker, into his hands. The blade was very sharp and had a jagged design to it. All across the blade were sparkling silver moons and stars.

Mickey took a few practice swings and jabs while thinking about all that has transpired. They had just won a harsh space battle over Radiant Garden and were now preparing to deliver the final blow to Maleficent and her army of Heartless. And the sooner, the better.

Mickey hated the war on the Heartless more than anything and wanted it to end...soon. He knew it was a necessary war for the Heartless would stop at nothing to destroy all life in the galaxy. But whenever he looked at the death toll after every battle he couldn't help but question if the cost was just too great. The question always popped in his head: should Planet Disney exit the war on the Heartless?

The benefits of exiting were clear and really appealing to Mickey: No more battles. No more casualties. No more funerals. Plus no more protests...

The protests...

Mickey frowned and took a harder swing from his keyblade.

When the war first began, majority of Planet Disney supported the war and had faith in Mickey and his decisions. But now after five years of brutal warfare and hundreds of knights dying in battle, many citizens and even some on his own council questioned his leadership. Some felt he wasn't competent enough to lead the planet in a big war campaign. That he was fine when things are peaceful but when trouble arises he was clueless on what to do. For an entire year now, there was always line of citizens chanting 'bring our families home' with anti war signs. And when more knights died in battle, the more people began to doubt his leadership.

Mickey took an even harder swing.

He had to admit. There were times when even he questioned his leadership ability during these dark times. He knew he couldn't please everyone but at the same time his critics did make a point. Why continue on in a war that has taken the lives of so many knights and has no end in clear sight? Sure even if they stopped Maleficent there was still a possibility that the Heartless would still be wandering around killing innocent people. After every battle or victory, it still felt like there was a huge mountain to climb. Maybe...leaving the war would've been the best course of action.

Mickey, his brow crinkled, sighed and swung the Star Seeker horizontally.

Alas, he knew he could never give such an order. Their allies, Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands, were counting on them. They needed them. The truth was, and Mickey knew, had Planet Disney not entered the war Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands would've already lost. It showed in the space battle over Radiant Garden. If Fantasia Force fleet was not there, the Anima would've tore through the planet's defenses and entered the planet. The number of civilian deaths would've been staggering. So no...despite what his critics say, he could never abandon their best friends and allies. Not now. Not ever.

Mickey, still in deep thought, swung his keyblade downward then lifted the blade up and rested it on his shoulders.

But how did his knights feel? Yes, they had great respect towards the allies and were honored to fight beside them. But did they want to push forward to see the end of the war? Would they rather exit the war and be with their families instead of fighting on and wait for the day when the Heartless would finally be destroyed? What is it that they wanted more? He loved his knights as much as he loved his friends and allies. But was he being selfish for keeping his knights in the war because of he wanted to not fail his friends and see the end of the war? Was he putting his own personal wants and interests above his people?

These were questions that circled in the little king's mind every day and like now, it bothered him quite a bit.

A loud beep from his holopad shook him out of his thoughts and the little king walked over to the small device sitting on the small stool. Mickey pressed the blinking blue button on the small device, and five blue holographic figures appeared before him. On the right was the Supreme Commander of Fantasia Force, Buzz Lightyear, in the middle was the High Leader of Radiant Garden, Squall Leonhart, and the newly appointed mayor of Destiny Islands Musashi, and on the left was Keyblade Master and Captain of the Fighting 250, Sora, and Keyblade Master and Colonel of 10th Battalion, Riku, who was sporting a light colored sleeveless shirt and dark pants.

Everyone greeted each other and Musashi, his long brown pony tail swaying with every head movement, looked at Sora and asked:

"How many?"

"Um...it looked like a division. I'd say approximately...twelve thousand." answered Sora.

Buzz whistled and worry filled Mickey's face.

"Twelve thousand." Musashi said in a exasperated tone.

Squall folded his arms and answered. "That's a lot. More than I expected."

"Squall, with our numbers combined we only have approximately seven thousand troops. That's not even close to the numbers they have and we all know how much damage a few Heartless can do. Imagine thousands." said Musashi.

"Their strength can be terrifying. But we have the power of the heart on our side. The Fighting 250 and I are ready for anything. Just give the word and we'll go with the plan." said Sora, brimming with confidence.

Riku, a dark look on his masculine face, flicked a lock of his long silver hair away from his face, reached his right hand out, and summoned his shiny black and dark blue keyblade, The Way to Dawn. He performed a quick swipe and said to Musashi:

"You know me and my battalion, mayor. We're always prepared to send some of those monsters back to hell."

"I admire the confidence from the both of you but the fact is...we're outnumbered. Marching into battle against a division of Heartless without the right numbers is suicide. We should all know that by now." said Musashi.

"What are you saying, Musashi?" said Mickey.

"I'm saying we should regroup, formulate a different plan, call in reinforcements, and wait for them to arrive." said Musashi.

"But...if we wait. That'll give Maleficent plenty of time to escape." said Mickey.

"Mickey's right. We can't wait any longer. We must stick with the plan and take Maleficent down now." said Squall.

"I don't know about you but I don't want my men to march to their death which is precisely what's going to happen if we go forward with this plan!" said Musashi.

"Mayor, this could very well be our only chance to ending the war." said Riku.

"I know. It all looks so tempting and the thought of ending this war does sound appealing. But I also know what the Heartless are capable of with big and little numbers in their army." said Musashi.

"We may be outnumbered. But we can still win this." said Riku.

"Really... Do I need to remind everyone of the Battle of Geyser 70?" said Musashi, looking at everyone.

Squall closed his eyes, Buzz looked to his side, Mickey's eyes dropped to the ground as did Sora's, and Riku just folded his arms with a grim look on his face.

"We all remember, sir." said Riku, his tone low.

"Then let me enlighten you again." said Musashi, his tone very serious. "We deployed a battalion of one thousand to Geyser 70 to combat the Heartless threat. It was a mere five hundred Heartless, we outnumbered them greatly! But after six hours of battle...only ten troops survived...And only two hundred out of the five hundred Heartless were dead."

Musashi paused then continued. "If five hundred could do that to a thousand...what do you all think twelve thousand is going to do to seven thousand!"

Squall opened his eyes and said. "There is a difference. This battle isn't about destroying the Heartless. It's about capturing or destroying Maleficent. The strategy is simple."

Squall paused then continued on: "The Anima is located in Nomurak Valley which is surrounded by the Wutai Mountains. At the bottom of this U shaped region is Eegalon Hill and it splits the entry to the valley in two. Riku and Yuffie's battalions will rendezvous with the Fighting 250 and distract the Heartless on the eastern entrance. Musashi...you, me, and Mickey's armies will cover the western entrance. While our armies are distracting the Heartless, Riku, Sora, Kairi, Yuffie, and two other members from their group will travel though the Bossanin Cave on the eastern side of the Wutai Mountains. At the end of the cave, they will be right behind the Anima. From there they will sneak in, defeat Maleficent, destroy the Anima's weapon and engine systems, and then alert Buzz and Fantasia Force to bomb the Anima."

"I haven't said much but I must say. That is an A plus strategy in my book. I say we keep with it and win this war." said Buzz. He looked at Mickey and asked. "What do you say, your highness?"

"I say that that plan is sure to work." said Mickey, regaining some of his optimism.

Sora and Riku just nodded. Musashi sighed.

"Commander Lightyear." Musashi said looking at the Supreme Commander. "Is there anyway you can send down air support?"

"Sir, I would love to. But understand… in that last battle over Radiant Garden, this fleet suffered severe losses. I only have enough pilots in the squadron to take down The Anima when its systems are destroyed… If I sent that squadron down while The Anima's weapon systems are fully operational, there would be no Squadron left." said Buzz.

"I see." Musashi looked down defeat and said in a low tone. "My friends...I will say that overall this is a fine strategy. But sadly, there's still the high possibility that by the time Sora and Riku's group reaches Maleficent...we will all be dead."

There was a long silence that followed.

"Mayor..." said Sora, his eyes staring downward. He lifted them up and continued. "We're outnumbered. And the odds are against us...But we can't lose hope"

Musashi and everyone looked at Sora.

"We abandon our optimism, we will be condemning the morale of the troops. We have to believe in them and ourselves. We will win this...we have to." said Sora.

* * *

A scowl was all there was on the pale green face of the witch Maleficent, who stood gazing out the thick window on the highest floor of the Anima. The dark witch wore a long black witch's robe that totally covered her entire body. In her right hand was her bronze staff that had an olive green crystal sphere on top. But what made her appearance more frightening were her demonic yellow eyes and the two long black horns sticking out of her head.

"You fools may have forced me to retreat. But I will have the last laugh." A wicked grin formed on Maleficent's face. "This will be the final hour for the keyblade masters and the Resistance."

Suddenly from behind, Maleficent heard what sounded like fire cackling. She frowned, gracefully turned around, and saw a ball of blue fire in the middle of the chamber. She squinted her eyes knowing full well who it was. Slowly she walked to the fire her long black robes sliding across the ground behind her. She stopped before the fire and glared at it. The blue flame danced and formed into the shape of a man. He was an older man with a long beard, a point hat on his head, and long robes covering his figure. The old man crossed his arms and for a minute him and Maleficent just stared at each other.

"Maleficent." said the old man, his tone calm.

"Merlin." Maleficent said venom in her voice. "It's been a long time. Come to beg I presume."

"I've come to ask you to renounce your dark ways." said Merlin.

Maleficent giggled. "I thought that age would've made you wiser, Merlin...but it seems you're still the same delusional fool like you were years ago."

Merlin, ignoring her comment, replied. "I spoke with the leaders of the Resistance. They see no hope of redemption in you after all you've done. They're going to destroy you, my dear, you know this."

"They're the ones who are going to die, Merlin. You came here to plead to me not to go on with the battle so that your foolish friends can live...or should I call them your masters." said Maleficent.

Merlin folded his arms and frowned.

"Yes. How does it feel, Merlin? To know that you went from being a powerful keyblade master saving the galaxy to an old...weak...pathetic...royal pet." said Maleficent, disgust in her voice.

"My dear, nothing has changed in me. I may not wield the keyblade anymore but I stand where I always stood...on the side of righteousness."

"Hmph."

"You're the one who's changed, my dear."

Maleficent smiled. "I have grown more powerful over the years."

"Yes you have. But your feelings have also changed. Whatever you felt towards your sisters has obviously faded away."

Maleficent's face darkened. "Don't you speak of them...you have no right."

"You spit on the memory of your sisters by siding with the ones that murdered them!"

Anger dominated Maleficent's face. "The Heartless didn't kill my sisters!"

Maleficent glared and walked slowly towards the flame and added in a low tone. "You and I deep down know who it really was."

Dread formed on Merlin's face and he looked down.

"We do not need to speak of him." said Merlin.

"Oh we don't, do we?" whispered Maleficent.

She walked closer to the point the flame was almost touching her and she was looking the figure of Merlin straight in the face.

"Does the shame...of knowing you failed him...and everyone you cared about eat at you? Destroy you inside?" said Maleficent.

Maleficent snickered and there was a long silence that followed.

"You really are a pitiful sight...a royal dog and a complete utter failure." said Maleficent.

Merlin, keeping his calm, looked up and met her eye to eye.

"Why do you side with the Heartless?" asked Merlin, changing the subject.

Maleficent looked away from Merlin and walked away. She stopped and looked back at him.

"I do not side with anyone, Merlin. The Heartless obey me."

"You can't possibly believe that." replied Merlin.

"It's the truth, Merlin. The Heartless obey those who are strongest in darkness."

"The Heartless manipulate and use people. They don't care whether you're light or dark. Those infernal demons seek only the destruction of all life!"

"Nothing but lies."

"Those demons will be your end, my dear! If the keyblade masters and the resistance don't kill you...the Heartless certainly will."

Maleficent looked at Merlin for a second then asked. "Why do you want me to renounce my ways so badly?"

Merlin looked downwards to the side. After a minute of a silence he finally answered. "Because...I remember a time when you and I were friends and there was no Mistress of All Evil. You were a young smart beautiful witch who dreamed of nothing but to become the Mistress of All Enchantment. I miss those days and remember them like as if they were yesterday."

Maleficent didn't reply back. She looked down briefly, a mixture of emotions forming on her face, then turned her back on Merlin.

"You remember too don't you...Mathilda." said Merlin.

Maleficent twirled around, her black robes swirled with her motion, and looked at Merlin with pure anger.

"That name no longer exists!" shouted Maleficent.

"It's your true name. The name of a wonderful young witch who believed in what is right." said Merlin.

"The side of right is the side of weakness. Darkness and pure evil are the ways of true power. I learned that long ago."

"And yet it has led you to this. You stand upon the edge of defeat that could lead to your death. Mathilda, there is still time."

"Shut up! Stop saying that name!"

"Deep down, I know that sweet innocent witch still exists."

"NO!"

"You turned to darkness and to your sisters because after a few failures you believed it was the only way to achieve success and power. Your master called you unworthy and weak. But that was far from the truth! You were strong even on the side of right and light."

"Stop it!"

"You had a good heart, Mathilda...and you were a good friend."

A mixture of emotions showed on Maleficent's face.

"Remember our adventure for the Black Scroll. How optimistic you were? How caring you were? You were on your way to becoming a powerful witch of enchantment. And judging from your cries of anger, my dear, there's still a little bit of Mathilda's goodness in you. And it's infuriating you, isn't it?"

"Curse you, Merlin!"

"You don't have to hold back anymore, Mathilda...unchain the goodness that you've been holding back with your malevolence. Become the person that I once called friend. Renounce your ways as Maleficent!"

"NO! No, I won't!"

"Maleficent! Mathilda! Renounce your ways!"

"Silence!"

Maleficent stormed towards the flame hatred covering her face.

"I will not revert back to the weakling that you want me to be." said Maleficent, her tone low and full of hate.

"You were not-" said Merlin.

"Silence! I am Maleficent! The Mistress of All Evil!" Maleficent cried while stretching her arms out.

She added: "And I along with my Heartless shall spread the blood of the Resistance across this wretched moon! And then I shall come after you, Merlin."

Merlin frowned.

"I'll do what your mother Queen Mab and my sisters failed to do years ago...I'll make you burn, Merlin. Burn in the fires of hell." Maleficent said in a dark tone.

There was a long silence before Merlin spoke back.

"We will not be around forever, my dear. I will die someday...but not by your hand." said Merlin.

"Hmph" was all Maleficent said.

"If today is your final day, I pray...and I really do pray that before the jaws of death take you...that you remove the shroud of darkness from your heart and awaken who you really are so that you can go to the Great Beyond in peace." said Merlin, sincerity in his voice.

"Fool. I awoken my true self years ago." Maleficent smiled wickedly. "And you're looking at her."

Merlin sighed, looked down for a second, slowly shook his head, and turned his back on Maleficent.

"When I die...I will reunite with my love Nimue and my dear friends of old. And I hope..." Merlin turned his head and added. "to see not Maleficent, The Mistress of All Evil...But Mathilda, Mistress of Enchantment."

Maleficent growled. "Get out of here! Get out!"

The flame slowly disappeared and out of sight.

Maleficent growled then shouted. "Fool! Idiot! Worthless...pitiful...wretch of a man!"

She took several breaths trying to calm herself down.

"Time to get things underway." said Maleficent.

Maleficent tapped her staff on the ground and shouted. "Pete!"

There was no reply. She waited two minutes then tapped her staff on the ground again.

"Pete!" Maleficent shouted.

Once again, there was no reply. Maleficent rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Pete! You stupid fool! Get in here now!" cried Maleficent.

There was a loud crash that sounded in the background and Maleficent knew that whatever got broken was thanks to her overweight servant Pete. Pete, dressed in red and blue shirt and pants, rushed into the chamber and stopped a few feet away from Maleficent.

"You called, Mistress?" asked Pete.

"The time has come, Pete, for us to commence our plan." said Maleficent.

"Umm, yeah." Pete swallowed hard with a hint of fear on his facial features. "About that, Mistress. I was just thinking that maybe we should, you know...uh...re-think this through."

A dark look appeared on Maleficent's face.

"I mean since the damages to the Anima's engines weren't too bad I was wondering if maybe we should, I don't know, um...escape." said Pete.

"I'm through running." Maleficent said in a dark tone.

Maleficent strolled past Pete and was heading towards one of the windows.

"Yes but um...isn't that the best way to stay alive?" said Pete.

Maleficent stopped, spun around, and said. "Only to cowardly fools like you!"

She turned around again, walked to a large window, and stopped before it.

"Hey. I'm not a complete… coward. Why I can be brave If I wanted to." Pete said with a smile.

"Yeah, right." said a sarcastic voice at the open entrance of the chamber..

Standing against the wall with his legs crossed was Mortimer Mouse. Mortimer was only 3 feet tall and looked exactly like a brown mouse. He was currently wearing a yellow shirt, yellow pants, a gray trench coat, and gray fedora. Attached on the right side of his silver utility belt were two sharp daggers and on the left was a red laser pistol. In his right hand was a thick brown cigar with smoke rising from the tip.

With arrogance in his stride, Mortimer took a whiff from his cigar then said. "The day you get courage is the day I stop loving cold clean cash, which ain't going to happen."

"Why you little…" Pete snarled as he raised his fist.

"Enough!" Maleficent shouted. "Both of you stop your squabbling! We don't have time for this! Very soon, the keyblade masters and the resistance will be arriving here to destroy this vessel."

She turned around and added with a smile that revealed her teeth. "And they will die trying."

She paused for a second then said. "Mortimer."

"Yes, mistress?" Mortimer asked in a bored tone.

"Go to the lower levels and find Hook. Tell him I want to see him."

* * *

"You know, Madame. A man can't finish his work if he is interrupted every five minutes." Captain Hook said with a frown at Maleficent.

Captain James Hook had a strong accent and wore an elegant red pirate outfit with a big red hat. He had long black hair and a thin black mustache on his manly face. What made him known as 'Hook' was that of his left hand being hand it was in fact a shiny, sharp hook.

"I have a job for you, Hook." said Maleficent.

"What sort of job?" asked Hook.

Maleficent smiled. "The Resistance will be coming here with an army to destroy this ship… and us along with it. Pete is too incompetent lead anything and Mortimer is too...lazy."

"I don't like where this is going."

"I need you, Hook, to lead the army."

"Madame...that is preposterous! If you hadn't noticed, I'm a first class captain…ship captain! Not some ruffian general for an army."

"You will do as I say."

"You can have me pilot a ship or give orders. But not going to do anything that involves me lowering my class to the lowest of low."

"You will be leading an army. How do you consider that lowering your class!"

"Captain, I am. A grunt, I am not."

Oh you will lead that army, Hook." Maleficent's face darkened. "Or I'll send you back to Neverland. And I know there's a certain crocodile there who would love to sink his teeth into your flesh."

Hook's eyes widened in fear and his knees began to tremble.

"So when do I lead them?" Hook immediately asked, fear in his voice.

"Very soon." said Maleficent. She paused then continued. "And there is one thing I need you to do on the battlefield."

"And that is?"

"I want you to engage Squall Leonhart, Musashi, and King Mickey in battle...and kill them."

"Those three? Ha!" Hook raised his hook, stared at it with a wicked look on his face, and added. "That will be simple, Madame. Killing those bilge rats will be easier than skinning a dead fish."

* * *

As you can see, there definitely a lot of changes. Next chapter will be up soon and will have a lot of exciting stuff.


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